Today is the last day of school for my youngest daughter. My oldest, as my more loyal readers know, graduated from high school last weekend. But the rest of the school system had to endure 3 more days of school in order to make up missed days due to snow.

I will admit I hadn’t planned on sending my girl to school for any of those days, but she wants to go today because a) it’s the official last day of school, and b) they are having a pizza party. I may have wanted to go then, too.

Ah, the last day of school…do you, dear readers, remember that blissful feeling of each second that ticked by on the classroom wall clock meant you were that much closer to freedom? To a summer that seemed to be a chain of endless hot and hazy days spent at the pool, and on your bike, and on family vacation?

The walk home from school once that bell rang at 3:00 p.m. was a sweet one. Broad Avenue, lined with a mixture of stately homes and tidy, brick tudors, would offer up a shady canopy of maple trees all the way from ACS school to Oakdene Avenue, where I would turn to head home. Once inside my front door, I’d toss whatever books and papers that were left over at the end of the year in the foyer, plop on the couch, turn on Match Game and ponder over the summer before me, relishing the fact that I had almost 3 whole months of days that were my own.

My kids? They get bored during summer vacation because I’ve always had to work. Their summer would be spent sitting at home fighting with each other, or hanging out in the area of town where I work, shopping and going to the movies. But this summer I am unemployed, so we can fill our days with trips to the pool or the beach, and maybe even take a hike or visit a park we’ve never been to. It won’t be an extravagant summer, but we may have an adventure or two.

It goes by fast…even my kids think so. My summer vacations seemed like an eternity of Coppertone lotion, Good Humor ice cream, Sun-In hairspray, and Diet Pepsi. But for some reason the summer break my kids experience flies by in the blink of an eye. Before you know it, July 4th is here, and then by the end of that month they are gearing up to head back to school in mid August.

I hope that my being home will make it seem longer – they will be doing more than just watching TV and playing Wii. At least I hope they will.